I’m so thrilled to be here today, talking about my first book as Tessa Adams, Dark Embers. The first
novel in the Dragon’s Heat series, Dark Embers tells the
story of Dylan MacLeod and Phoebe Quillum. He’s King of the Dragonstar clan,
desperately searching for a way to save his people and she’s a human biochemist
with a dark past who is frantically looking for funding for her own research
into curing Lupus.
To introduce you to DARK
EMBERS, and the world I’ve created for these modern day dragons, I thought
I’d interview Phoebe, so you can see this strange world through her eyes.
1. Phoebe, if you had to use three words to describe what its like being in
love with a dragon, what words would you use? Fascinating, Dangerous, and
Sexy—of course, those words could apply to Dylan himself, as well ;)
2. What’s the hardest thing about being part of Dylan’s world? At
first, the hardest thing was simply accepting that shapeshifters exist. I’m a
scientist and I’ve spent my whole life dealing only with facts, so when Dylan
showed up at my lab, I had a hard time buying into what he was selling. Of
course, when he insisted on a blood test I had a hard time arguing … Now,
however, the most difficult part of being in Dylan’s world is accepting the fact
that his life is in danger every day—if not from blatant attacks from his enemy
(we’ve had a few of those) but also from this virus that is ripping through his
clan and killing so many of the Dragonstars. I’m working with Quinn Maguire, the
clan healer, to find a cure or a vaccine to combat it, but so far it’s proved
impossible.
3. The deserts of New Mexico are a far cry from a research lab at
Harvard—have you had a difficult time adjusting? I think it was a lot harder
getting used to the fact that my lover can grow scales, wings and claws, not to
mention breathe fire, than it was to adjust to New Mexico, LOL. But, yes, moving
from my two-bedroom apartment in Cambridge into a desert cave in the middle of
New Mexico has definitely taken some adjustments. Thank God my honey is pretty
much a portable water heater …
4. You’ve had a pretty difficult time yourself, before hooking up with
Dylan. Do you want to tell us a little bit about your past I don’t, really.
The past is done and I firmly believe it should stay buried. But if you’re going
to insist, I guess I’ll just say that all the things that happened to me as a
teenager led me to become a doctor and a researcher, which in turn led me to
Dylan. So while I wouldn’t want to relive them (that’s an understatement) I
can’t regret that they helped make me a woman strong enough to handle the King
of a dragon clan.
5. Above, you used three words that could be applied to Dylan, but if you
had more space to describe him, what would you say about him? Dylan is …
the best. He really is. I’ve never met a man who cared more for the people he
was responsible for, a man who would do anything to save the people in his clan.
His life hasn’t exactly been easy, you know. He lost his parents and older
brother, which in turn led him to have to assume the crown when he’d never
anticipated it. Add in the fact that this virus has hit the clan so hard, and
Dylan has had a rough few decades. And yet, he’s an incredible King. Kind, fair,
smart and absolutely determined to steer his people through this—I admire him
more than I can ever say. Add in the fact that he’s tall, dark and sexy as hell
… what’s not to love?
6. Last question—this book has some surprises in store for its readers. How
do you feel about those surprises? Oh, wow. You don’t ask the easy questions, do
you? I feel … shocked, more than surprised, not to mention completely
discombobulated (don’t you love that word?) But I think, in the end, they turn
out to be good surprises. I mean, where else can you find--
Oh, I think that’s enough, Phoebe. We don’t want to spoil the end for any
readers out there. Oh, right. Of course. Sorry, Tessa.
That pretty much wraps up my interview with Phoebe, but if you’d like to see
more of her, there’s an excerpt up at my website and a pretty cool contest going on over at my
blog. Stop by
and learn more about Phoebe and Dylan and the Dragonstars. And since we’re
talking paranormals, I thought I’d ask—what’s your favorite kind of paranormal
hero/heroine? Shifters, witches, immortal guardians, vampires, fairies … the
list goes on and on. I’m obviously partial to dragons, but I’m also a big fan of
cat and wolf shifters and witches.
10 comments posted.
What a great interview. You've showed me a way to make my characters more vibrant.
(Alyson Widen 11:27am July 3, 2010)
No rasl favorites. However, the are a few I am not fond of like zombies and demons. It depends on the story and the character development whether or not I like a particular character.
(Patricia Barraclough 5:38pm July 3, 2010)
I like shifters, Fae, and witches. I also like when an author uses more that one kind of paranormal being within the same story.
(Carol Cobun 2:49pm July 4, 2010)